Burden In My Hand: My 76th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first the latest in the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup that Mexican football (Soccer) fans who are keen to see the World Cup game at a stadium will likely to miss out as the ticket prices to the upcoming games are set to be high (With co-hosts Mexico due to play their opening match of the tournament against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, but their country's key game of the tournament will be against Czechia) due to the expensive price, even though that the tickets for these matches are like a luxury price, meaning that they are forced to watch it at a fan zone (Compared to when they hosted their own tournament twice in both 1970 & 1986 (And this year's tournament has claimed by America whose focusing on as the main co-hosts of the tournament), but both the Mexicans & Canadians would even be friendly people to an extent, compared to the Americans who are hostile towards foreigners saying that they want them out of that country if people who are gringos, étrangers, auslaender, or gaikokujin, are likely to be arrested for that certain crimes as Dad who alluded to me before on May 10th during our Mother's Day lunch at Rutland, despite the fact that I'm looking forward of watching the matches on TV due next month in which the whole world will not turn up, mainly due to the boycott about not visiting America, as a result of that dreadful American leader's anti-outsiders policy that already tightened its legislation on people who have foreign faces or even look foreign to them (Along with Denmark with their left wing liberal party that kept foreigners out of the country), just like Nigel Farage's political party called Reform UK (A right wing populist & far-right political party that is UK's fastest growing political party that will combat immigration, then the economy, as well as the National Health Service, & others) winning the local UK elections in which they have got an historic shift in politics that both Labour & the Conservatives have been declining after suffering these losses indeed), or from their homes.

And secondly that I have not been watching the ice hockey lately because of me being used to watching it (Especially with Rejean when he & Aunty Tan were here watching it on ESPN in December last year) because of the playoffs, especially the Canadiens (Who beat the Lightning in the 1st phase of the playoffs) are playing the Sabres in the Eastern Conference semi (And being at that fan zone outside the stadium watching would have to pay per view compared to us watching the rugby on Sky, is free here in New Zealand if they're unable to catch a game).

And thirdly in gaming that Dad showed me to share stuff such as the EA Sports Rugby game is on its way when he bought it, even though I paid it for the game as well as the postage & handling, but my birthday present from him will be the physical copy of the Project Motor Racing PS5 game (And I already got the digital version of it as well), even if it's available or it's not that I'll be getting the money for it (And my 35th birthday is due on June 7th, 2 days after Dad & 3 days before Aunty Tan, so we're having our joint birthday lunch at Thai Villa on that fateful day, but I always say "There he be", thinking that I'm like the late William Shakespeare as Aunty Tan (Who me & Pops have not seen her along with Rejean for 128 days as of May 10th this Mother's Day) once told me about it, just like I always say later, later on, or later then instead of see ya, goodbye or bye). 

And lastly some rugby news straight out of Super Rugby Pacific that the Crusaders remain unbeaten in their fortress at Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch with a 16 point win over the Blues (Who lost Dalton Papali'i (Who'll join a French club after this season) early in the process due to him being injured again), then the Chiefs who had a superb victory over the Queensland Reds whose chances of victory proved costly in Brisbane (Which hosted Magic Round in the NRL where the Warriors (Who brought back Mitch Barnett who returns from injury with Origin calling just around the corner, but they lost halfback Tanah Boyd for the rest of the season with that certain injury during that game) were able to manhandle the defending premiers the Broncos (Who were without their key players of Payne Haas through injury, & Kotoni Staggs who is suspended for this game) on their home patch at Lang Park just to silence the pro-Broncos crowd who were cheering them on just like the home crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium were silent when Auckland FC won as we marched on through to the final of the A-League, but the Wahs are still trailing behind the top of the table Panthers in terms of the standings), mainly due to the controversial decisions being made by a 2nd year sophomore New Zealand referee of Marcus Playle & his team of officials who had been given a hostile reception by the Reds crowd themselves after the game, as Playle (Who had a refereeing blunder on that occasion as he had butchered it anyway) did not endear himself to the Lang Park crowd on Friday night following the Reds 10 point defeat against the Chiefs for which had been controversial (Including when fans - & players were infuriated on the stroke of half-time when Playle deemed Seru Uru to have been held up, in which he had adjudged to have scored a try himself (Dreadful, absolutely dreadful isn't it? But it had been confirmed the TMO viewed all available angles of the play while reviewing the on-field decision as the television match official identified evidence the ball had been grounded however couldn't find clear & obvious evidence the ball was grounded on or over the try line, that would be necessary to overturn the on-field decision), but there were other controversial refereeing decisions that the Queensland Reds fans did not please, such as Tupou Vaa'i won himself a turnover (Including one of the Queensland Reds player who thought that he wasn't isolated), but he was adjudged to be having been thought that Vaa'i had left his feet, as well as he got cleaned out by a Reds player as there was obviously but clearly a ruck or breakdown I should say being formed where the Queensland Reds crowd who had been aghast as they were getting impatient, then a sin binning offence being handed out against Jeffry To'omaga-Allen for being offside that really upset the home fanatics who were most displeased (And I don't think they're pleased at the moment, oh my word) about it for which the ref's decision to send To'omaga-Allen to the sin bin was a bit tough, moments before Chiefs reserve hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho who came on for Tyrone Thompson had scored his 2nd try, & of course Chiefs skipper Luke Jacobson who thought he was killing the ball should've been penalised first (Well, the first violation is for going off feet (And it was all perfectly fine when Jacobson made that slightly big tackle on Carter Gordon, before the ref didn't see the first offence when the Chiefs captain sealed the ball off, but he rather saw the 2nd offence when Reds centre Josh Flook had been caught for coming in from the side as the Reds were on the wrong end of a 12 - 5 penalty count, oh lord (And the controversy extended well past that), according to the comment from Stan Sport rugby commentator 'Morgs' Turinui (Who also said that "It's a penalty to the Reds") that I literally remember for that the match could've gone either way, but no doubt that Jacobson was going over the top! It's unbelievable that's been missed), in which Playle (Who had been in charge as the referee for the 8th time in Super Rugby Pacific) has had a shocker when he mistakenly awarded the penalty against the Queensland Reds for joining ruck incorrectly (And it's a penalty! But, he's killed the game. Wrong, wrong, it's wrong, the Aussie rugby fans have calmed down a bit, they were absolutely livid, he's killed the game for them), moments prior to Wallace 'Wally' Sititi who scored that try again after he was peeling off the back of the scrum for that really was the ball game (Including the Reds should've been awarded the penalty for a tackle off the ball that was deemed to be a harsh call, against Jacobson who could've got away by being penalised again, this time on Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson (Who is due to become a dad when his wife Renee announced that she was pregnant meaning that a baby is on the way), in which the home team's aficionados were getting restless when they also were in shambles, as they were being frustrated about that certain decision that left themselves off the hook, especially the crowd at Lang Park were unhappy chappies, oh shameless! Maybe that's a slap on the wrist for that. It is such a rip off, it's a shameless ripoff...That's terrible, but you know...I, oh god, I hope they get sued (It's a neat win by the Chiefs, but I'd rather watch the fog final from 20 years ago back in 2006 between the Crusaders & the Hurricanes in another one of these strangest Super Rugby matches ever, going through the fog while the fans hardly see the action coming from the grandstands, in one of the craziest but infamous rugby games to take place in history) that had surely won for the Chiefs in which the Queensland Reds supporters who were left fuming after these calls had been dubious (And volatile as well), meanwhile Marcus Playle (Who had been blamed by the Reds fans who had put him off throughout every time he makes a poor decision) should never referee a Super Rugby Pacific match again, that is disgraceful! (And even the Queensland Reds coach of Les Kiss is not happy, because he is livid at the moment following a certain defeat like that in which the home team had a wretched night at Lang Park (And I mean, that is a disgrace for Super Rugby Pacific, but they'll be serious ramifications, obviously they'll be thousands of Reds fans who are getting pretty filthy), for what was to be the strangest Super Rugby Pacific match ever since the 2023 final between the Chiefs, & the Crusaders in Hamilton (And what was the reaction from the crowd? Well, they're stunned, stunned silence), while Playle's poor but woeful officiating of that match reminds me of Paddy O'Brien, & that infamous so called 'Train wreck' that cost Fiji a certain chance of an upset win in that all important men's Rugby World Cup game against France (Who had produced the shocks of the tournament when they infamously defeated New Zealand in the semi, before the Brighton Miracle took over where Japan upstaged South Africa in one of the greatest upsets at the men's Rugby World Cup of all time back in 2015 (And there's Portugal beating the Fijians in one of the tournament's biggest shocks in 2023, but first there was Uruguay who stunned Fiji in the upsets of the tournament also back in 2019 (Same year that the hosts at the time of Japan who managed to top the pool with all 4 wins (Including both Ireland, & Scotland which were considered upsets) for the first time in history) way back in 1999), as well as the Highlanders who kept their playoff chances alive despite being playing with 14 players not once (Including captain Timoci Tavatavanawai who got sin binned for cynical play such as a professional foul, like a ruck violation, while for Jona Nareki (A winger usually who had started the game at centre for the first time) as he had been given a sin bin, & on report for high contact on a Tahs player named Jack Barrett, before it had been changed it to a 20 minute send off offence that the Highlanders (Who will be without Nareki for a week, along with the Crusaders player of Kurtis MacDonald who is gone for the season with a 4 week ban being handed out by the judiciary, for dangerous play during the Crusaders-Blues clash), especially Jamie Joseph were baffled about the 2 decisions), but twice with a close win over the New South Wales Waratahs featuring that young player who played for the Australia under 20s of winger Sid Harvey who had to snatch a losing bonus by being within less than 7 in Dunedin, & the Hurricanes (Who are without Cam Roigard whose regular season is over with an ankle injury that keeps him out of 3 to 4 weeks, including the first round of the playoffs (And even the best rugby player in the world of Antoine Dupont is smelling blood of sending the French into a frenzy of defeating the AB's, especially with their playbook as part of the defending Six Nations champions France's game plan of winning against them in Christchurch) send their statement of remaining on top of the table following their comprehensive hiding against Moana Pasifika in Auckland with winger Josh Moorby (Well, is he in the frame for AB's selection under coach Dave Rennie, along with Highlander Caleb Tangitau? We'll see) providing the heroics, as he scored 4 tries in a match that made him his standout player of the game honours.

And here are the list of matches taking place in round 13 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition

Chiefs Vs Highlanders: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton (Their most recent meeting between the two was in round 2 earlier this year, where the Chiefs secure their eighth straight win over the Highlanders, led by a brace from Samisoni Taukei'aho in the tightest of all matches which was held at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin)

Fijian Drua Vs New South Wales Waratahs: HFC Bank Stadium, Suva (Their last meeting between the two was on February 20th this year during the 2nd round of the Super Rugby Pacific competition, where the New South Wales Waratahs defeated the Fijian Drua 36 – 13, at Allianz Stadium in Sydney as Max Jorgensen was the standout performer, scoring a double to secure the home victory)

Blues Vs Hurricanes: Eden Park, Auckland (The last time both of these sides met was on April 11, this year (Which was during Round 9 of the Super Rugby Pacific season) in Wellington, where the Hurricanes crushed the Blues by 42 points to 19)

& Western Force Vs Reds: HBF Park, Perth (The last time they clashed was during Round 8 of the Super Rugby Pacific championship this year where the Western Force defeated the Queensland Reds 42-19 (Including a hat-trick from Argentinian lock Franco Molina) in their last meeting on April 4, 2026, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane meaning that the Western Force's season got back on track)

Bye: ACT Brumbies, Crusaders & Moana Pasifika

So that is my 724th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 76th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Raspberry Beret: My 75th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was rewatching an old Super Rugby game from 2008 during the Super 14 era between the Crusaders & the Blues at the old Lancaster Park in Christchurch in anticipation of the match between the 2 sides at Te Kaha Stadium on May 8th, but I only watched the first half of it & didn't see the rest of the 2nd half thinking that the Crusaders actually won that match themselves.

And secondly I had an eventful day such as gaming first where I played my fave video & computer game of all time along with both Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 & Grand Theft Auto IV of Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5, but with remote play before I had breakfast then after that as I took photos of the doves & the sparrows altogether on my phone that I have yet to share it on Facebook, before I played GTA IV on Xbox 360 via backwards compatibility on my Xbox Series X console before I had my shower, then listened to Brian FM as well as us chatting to Aunty Tan on the phone to say how she is at the moment, until we left home to go to Rutland Arms Inn for our mother's day celebration lunch with Dad's crew where I had pasta for example (The drink I had was Peroni Zero), then a brownie for dessert with a mochaccino, even before we left to go home where I enjoyed playing Formula One 2004 game on the PlayStation 2 (I played as Michael Schumacher (My favourite sporting idol growing up because mainly he is a GOAT (And he is out of the public eye since that concussion that he suffered in a ski crash back in 2013, but his update on his health & wellbeing could be heartbreaking as of 2019, or at least 2022), but I like the late Ayrton Senna as well as my other fave racing car driver who is undoubtedly, or if not, one of the original GOAT's of Formula One (And unfortunately that he tragically passed away in a serious fatal accident in Italy at the Imola circuit near Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region way back in 1994 for which was a disaster) on the Spanish, European & Japanese Grands Prix respectively where there is a grid configuration in the game as part of its custom race gameplay feature to manually recreate the previous grands prix in that season (And the grid configuration is featured in the GT7 game as part of its custom race option) that I'm enjoying the most (Along with 2006 FIFA World Cup, Rugby League 2, Cricket 07, Rugby 08, V8 Supercars 3 & SWBF 2 2005 as my other faves) along with Rugby 08 & Rugby 2004 games respectively before I watched CNN with the latest news reports circulated around the world, then we had a light dinner where Pops made a stir fry for us, & then back to watching CNN before writing my future blog that I'm going to post.

And thirdly that Iran will intend to attack American assets as part of its strategy during that dreadful American leader's war according to the CNN report that I saw on TV while the Americans are awaiting response to end that invasion when Tehran who warned Washington about its assaults on tankers & then the Israelis who caused the murder of 24 people in Lebanon due to escalation of assaults between the 2 countries, while the US President hasn't yet decided how to respond to some American allies denying use of the military bases for operations in the Iran war, as the United States struck both Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday accused of breaching the American blockade, following American & Iranian forces exchanged fire while renewed hostilities have broken out between Iran & the US, with each side claiming the other initiated assaults on military personnel, meanwhile a government official said that current Iranian supreme leader suffered knee & back injuries in the strike that assassinated his dad as the landlocked body of water has taken on new significance, with the country that started its dreadful invasion since 2022 shipping military & commercial goods to boost Tehran's ability, & also that Iran's foreign minister has had accusations about the Americans of opting for a reckless military adventure (And Aunty Tan once told me before that Air Canada flights will be called off in Canada due to the escalation surrounding the Iran war in terms of expensive fuel prices for cars, buses, & planes).

And finally that the hantavirus outbreak (For which is colloquially known as the Andes virus) has circulated on a cruise ship is bound for Spain as its empty & vapid when CDC finally responded to it, but experts say it's too little too late, while Kiwis on cruise with an outbreak have fears that they could be isolated upon return, as the WHO chief prepares for his arrival in Tenerife to oversee evacuation of a hantavirus cruise ship, meanwhile the Brits on virus-hit cruise ship had been asked to quarantine at hospital site for at least 42 days (That's about 6 weeks), compared to 14 days when they once had COVID & that pandemic that they are evoking memories of it (And what is my reaction to the Andes virus? Well, I'm stunned to hear about it that its like that had drawn parallels with that COVID pandemic that we once had from 2020, until 2023 for which is a throwback to it, even though that I'm an outspoken critic about the hantavirus now, but I fear that the Andes virus pandemic could get underway in 3 months time, despite that 79% actually think that its unlikely to happen (And that hantavirus stuff thing could end both that dreadful invasion since 2022 & the Iran wars respectively just like the Spanish flu took the first World War out of commission in 1918 when Germany ran out of men, food, & money, even before that pandemic lasted from February 1918 until April 1920 when the Germans were politically then financially unstable (Compared to Switzerland today that it is being by far, the most politically stable country in the world along with New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, & Japan, meanwhile Syria is currently the least politically stable country throughout) following 4 years of fighting which resulted in heavy losses, meaning that they can't spare anymore reinforcements), & the Americans? Well, they are expected to be evacuated from Hantavirus cruise ship as global health chief expected to travel to the area for which the epicentres of that virus stricken ship, has been treated like a war zone when the current situation has now been arisen.

So that is my 723rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 75th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Sonne: My 74th Blog of the year 2026 (AKA the history of the Football (Soccer) men's World Championship starting from 1994, right until 2022, & list of football (Soccer) playing countries competing in the group stages of the tournament)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that Dad has purchased the Formula One 04 PlayStation 2 game on Trade Me for me on the 3rd of May (And I haven't played it since I used to have PCSX2, but I no longer do it since I prefer the real thing, such as the real McCoy, & I had to pay it due to additional postage & handling as well as the game itself (And on May 3rd that I was playing Gran Turismo 7 (For which has always been an cracker that came out in 2022 thinking that it's the new 2005 & 2008 all over again where they released Star Wars Battlefront II (2005 version) & Grand Theft Auto IV respectively as the other decent bangers) throughout, in preparation of playing the Formula One 04 game such as racing the Super Formula SF23 car once (A modern day single seater race car that competes in Japan's premier racing series of Super Formula that's in place of the current F1 car) as well as both the Gran Turismo F3500-B once & F3500-A twice (Both inspired by Formula One open wheelers during the early 90's golden heyday halcyon period) respectively, at one of my fave F1 racing tracks that is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which is home of the annual Canadian Grand Prix (And Aunty Tan once told me that she's been to that circuit before along with Rejean when they walked throughout the venue themselves).

And secondly in music that the song from the American rock band Tantric, 'Breakdown', has seriously becoming one of my fave songs from the band itself (And it is a one-hit wonder anyway) since I first heard that song taken from the CART Champ Car movie of Driven starring Italian American film star Sylvester Stallone released way back in 2001 which was a disaster, compared to F1: the Movie (I've got it on Blu-ray already in my bedroom) also starring Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt (Who appeared in the Delonghi coffee machine advert on TV lately) that came out last year for which was arguably top notch (And it was nominated for an Oscar this year), it's showtime (As Johnny Cage played by New Zealander Karl Urban (Who portrayed the role of both Eomer & John 'Reaper' Grimm in the Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers & the Return of the King as well as the Doom movies respectively) would say in the upcoming Mortal Kombat II movie due for release in May this year).

And thirdly in football (Soccer) that I will be doing my story about the history of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup since I was born in 1991 starting from 1994 where Brazil won their unprecedented 4th Football (Soccer) men's World Cup after their penalty shoutout win against Italy (Well, I was too young to remember that at the time) who should've won that certain tournament, when Roberto Baggio missed that certain penalty shot during the shootout where the Brazilians, especially their football (soccer) team paid tribute to the country's most successful racing car driver who took his own life in a fatal crash during a Grand Prix race in Imola, Italy of the late great Ayrton Senna (Who was the last before the late Jules Bianchi back in 2015 (Same year that Justin Wilson had been tragically killed which triggered the introduction of the aero screen in 2020 for extended cockpit head protection) a year after being also involved in a fatal accident during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (That prompted Formula One to introduce the halo that is designed for head protection in the cockpit as well also back in 2018 in response to Bianchi's tragic passing, just like a wooden plank that help slow cars down being implemented (Just like in NASCAR where these stock cars are being fitted with restrictor plates at superspeedways in Atlanta, Daytona, & Talladega) in the aftermath of Senna's tragic death, then further enhanced safety changes at circuits were brought in such as the Tamburello & Villeneuve corners being replaced with chicanes at the Imola circuit in Italy as a response to the deaths of Senna, & the late Austrian driver of Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying a day before the race way back in 1994) according to the previous stories on my blogs, then in 1998 where the Brazilians (Who had one of their star player suffering epilepsy hours prior to kick-off) missed out on defending the crown against the hosts at the time of France who produced a sheer brilliance from one of the relatively unknowns also at the time of Zinedine Zidane who scored 2 goals in the final which was marred by the sending off from Marcel Desailly (Who was the 3rd after both Argentinians of Pedro Monzon & Gustavo Dezotti in 1990 when West Germany won) by the Moroccan referee in which Didier Deschamps was the first Frenchman to lift the trophy aloft, before in 2002 that Brazil won their 5th & most recent World Cup to date, against Germany with their star player Ronaldo (Not Cristiano himself, the Brazilian one) producing a bit of magic as he scored a brace (And it was Cafu who was the last Brazilian to lift the trophy) in his comeback from a serious injury sustained in a Coppa Italia final in 2000-01 where he thought that his career was going to end when he returned from a previous injury when he suffered a debilitating, complete rupture of his right knee patellar tendon against Lazio, as his final lasted 6 minutes prior to his knee being blown up (And then he returned to full fitness when the Brazilians triumphed), then in 2006 (Which was 20 years ago) that the Italians managed to win on penalties against the French who played with 10 players after the French captain had been shown the red card due to that one particular incident that he claimed that he headbutted an Italian player who exchanged insults with each other was at fault according to the previous stories on my blogs (And William Gallas said that he would've taken the penalty first during the shootout after Zidane (Who was the 4th after Desailly to be given the marching orders, & 2nd Frenchman to do so) got sent off by the Argentinian referee, but he did not in fact according to one of his stories about his French teammate at the time of 'Zizou', & it could've been lucky if France won should Zinedine Zidane had not been sent off when at that moment when current Uzbekistan coach/manager Fabio Cannavaro who was the last Italian to hoist the trophy aloft) where it was indeed redemption 12 years in the making for Italy of winning the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup for the first time since 1982, meanwhile in 2010 that Spain were crowned champions for the first time when they beat the Netherlands (Who had Johnny Heitinga being the last man to be sent from the field in the World Cup final) with Andres Iniesta providing the heroics with a match winning goal at extra time (In which Iker Casillas at that moment, was the first & only Spanish captain to lift the World Cup trophy, 2 years after they would win Euro 2008, & 2 years before they even retained the Euros at Euro 2012, the last time the Spanish would win the European Football Championship (Before that it was Portugal at Euro 2016, then Italy at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament that was held in 2021), until Euro 2024 where they became the most successful in Europe after their win in the final against England in Berlin, Germany which was by far Spain's finest performances to date, in recent memory), despite being cautioned for taking his jersey off whilst celebrating his goal, just like Mario Götze did for Germany when they beat Argentina (Led by Lionel Messi who was in his first final which was an unsuccessful one where they had the wrong picture) back in 2014 that he provided the heroics inspired by Iniesta (In that moment, as Philipp Lahm was the last German to lift the trophy as he was the first since Lothar Matthaeus way back in 1990, & the first time they have won a World Cup since reunification when the Berlin wall had been collapsed then (As well as their first major football (Soccer) tournament victory since Euro 96), as well as 4 years later in 2018 (That is 2 years before COVID came along in March 2020 with the pandemic that lasted for 3 years & 2 months where it finished formally in May 2023) that France (Who were in their first World Cup final since 2006) managed to end 20 years of hurt when they beat first time finalists Croatia led by star talisman Luka Modric who had been awarded player of the tournament by 2 goals in that epic final (It was Hugo Lloris who became the 2nd French skipper, & the first since Deschamps way back in 1998 to hoist the trophy aloft in France's first major football (Soccer) tournament victory in 18 years (The last time they did before that was Euro 2000 where they beat Italy who thought they won when they were in the lead, until the French equalized to force it into extra time before scoring the golden goal by one of their players of David Trezeguet that triumphed them to glory since 1984 at home), & finally in 2022, that France (Who were also in the final again as they became the first defending champions at the time since Brazil way back in 1998, but it wasn't to be) had denied their chance of retaining their crown in which they fell short on spot kicks against the Argentinians led by Messi (The first man to hoist the World Cup trophy from his country since the late great Diego Armando Maradona way back in 1986 who had a blinder in which he scored 2 goals & then, being awarded the player of the final honours for his outstanding performance on the field (And it was rival player Kylian Mbappe who was the first man to score a hat-trick of goals in a World Cup final (And also was the 2nd ever teenage goal scorer in the final back in 2018, since the late Brazilian GOAT of Pele himself) since Geoff Hurst who was the first in 1966 for England against West Germany, but it wasn't to be when they manage to fall short at the end) in what was Messi's 2nd final appearance, for that really was a success where they had the right picture on that occasion, in which the 2022 final as best described as the match that made Lionel Messi) who ended a 36 year hoodoo of winning the tournament altogether, in one of the greatest Football (Soccer) men's World Cup finals of all time (Compared to the 2019 men's ODI Cricket World Cup final which was considered the greatest men's ODI Cricket World Cup finals in history where England led by Irish born player Eoin Morgan, won the tournament for the first time in history where it was virtually decided by a super over in which our Black Caps had fallen short in the end, as well in the rugby where the 1995 men's Rugby World Cup final was considered the greatest men's Rugby World Cup finals of all time (I thought it was 2015, but I'd like to take that back) where the Springboks had to win that thriller at extra time, against the All Blacks with a match winning field goal provided by Joel Stransky that united the host country, as well as their late leader of South African president at the time Nelson Mandela, according to the previous blogs that I did (Other contenders were the 2003 (Where England had to do it at extra time with a winning drop goal scored by Jonny Wilkinson against the hosts, & reigning champions at the time of the Wallabies) & 2023 finals (Where South Africa had a narrow win by a single point against New Zealand who were down to 14 players as the Boks would gone on to successfully defend the title in which they became the 2nd side to do so after the AB's back in 2015) even though we lost in the final where we could've regained the men's RWC that we must've inflicted the scars of '95 (A year before we finally won a rugby test series against South Africa on South African soil 2 - 1 following numerous attempts that have failed us before that way back in 1996, but it'll return this year in a highly anticipated 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' 4 match test series between the 2 main rivals in international rugby of both the Boks, & the All Blacks (Just like Argentina & Brazil in world football (Soccer), then Germany against the Netherlands as well as England Vs Scotland, & Mexico & the United States, meanwhile it is India against Pakistan in cricket (But the oldest cricket rivalry of them all would have to be Australia Vs England where it all started in 1882 when English cricket was dead after shockingly losing to the Aussies by 7 runs in a cricket match at the Oval in London where English cricket had been dead & buried, then the body would be cremated & the Ashes to be taken on Aussie soil), & also in the league such as Australia & New Zealand), as a replacement for the Rugby Championship scheduled to take a 1 year hiatus) just like in 2023, & last but not least, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix that was widely regarded as the greatest Formula One Grand Prix races of all time where rain had been delayed for 4 hours, but only one man who stood out that is British driver Jenson Button (The world champion from 2009) of McLaren that he raced at the time who would gone on to win the rain sodden Grand Prix after starting 21st on the grid (Other contenders were the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton (The late Sir Bobby Charlton, Jonny Wilkinson, the late Sir Jack Hobbs, & Shaun Edwards of British motor racing) who had to pass German Timo Glock on the final lap of the race just to beat Brazilian Felipe Massa for the World Championship (And it just had to be), & the 1993 European Grand Prix where "The lap of the gods" had struck when the late Brazilian hero of Ayrton Senna who overtook 4 other cars (Including Austrian Karl Wendlinger, then both future world champions of German Michael Schumacher & British driver Damon Hill (Son of the late Graeme the former world champ himself), & then the eventual champion Alain Prost) after starting 5th on the grid during the miserable conditions, & gone on to win that certain Grand Prix race) out of the 24 runners), but here is the preview of the 2026 tournament altogether featuring the 48 different competing countries who are placed in their respective groups (While 26 different football (Soccer) playing nations will return from the previous tournament in 2022 (Like Argentina (The 3 time winners from 1978, 1986, & at the last but most recent one in 2022 where they'll defend their crown), Australia (Their best result was from the round of 16 in both the 2006 & 2022 tournaments respectively), Belgium (Where they finished 3rd in the 2018 tournament as their best result of the World Championship), Brazil (The last time the Brazilians tasted success was in 2002 after previously winning the 1958, 1962, 1970, & 1994 tournaments throughout altogether), Canada (Co-hosts of this year's tournament), Croatia (Their best result was 2nd, in which they were defeated against the eventual champions of the French back in 2018), Ecuador, England (Who haven't won in 60 years where they last lifted the trophy on home soil in 1966), France (The twice world champions from way back in 1998, & back in 2018 who'll be seeking to regain the World Championship after falling short on penalties against the Argentinians themselves in 2022), Germany (Who last lifted the trophy in 2014 after previously becoming the world champions in 1954, 1974, & 1990), Ghana, IR Iran, Japan (Their best result was the Round of 16 4 times in which they have never reached beyond them through to the quarters (That was back in 2002 when they co-hosted it with South Korea in that they were beaten against Turkey, then Paraguay also back in 2010, followed by Belgium back in 2018 in one of the greatest comebacks of all time ever, in the history of the World Championship, & against the Croatians on spot kicks last time out in the 2022 tournament), Korea Republic (Also their best result in which they finished 4th where they lost to the Turkish during the 3rd/4th place playoff when they co-hosted the World Championship along with the Japanese), Mexico (Another one of the co-hosts of this year's tournament whose best result for them was in the quarters when they hosted the tournament twice in both 1970, & way back in 1986), Morocco (The surprise package of the last tournament in 2022 as they reached the semis which was their best result altogether (They finished 4th when they lost against Croatia) who had been were declared the champions of AFCON in the aftermath of the Senegalese getting DQ'd), the Netherlands (Their best result was runners up long ago in 1978 where they were defeated against hosts at the time of Argentina, then in 2010 against Spain), Portugal (Who finished 3rd in 1966 where they beat a Soviet Union team during the 3rd & 4th place playoff), Qatar (Previous hosts of the 2022 tournament who had to take part in the Asia qualifiers to qualify for the World Championship), Saudi Arabia, Senegal (Who thought that they've won the AFCON title, but they were later stripped for intentionally walking off the field following a penalty decision that delayed the game for 20 to 30 minutes), Spain (The 4 time Euro champions who are the title favourites of that competition after going into the campaign 31 games unbeaten where they're seeking to emulate their one & only success back in 2010), Switzerland (Who regularly appear at the tournament since 2006), Tunisia, Uruguay (The two time world champions who triumphed at the inaugural tournament in 1930, then 1950 when it was back on 5 years after the end of World War II, & they haven't won the entire World Championship since), & USA (One of 3 Co-hosts of the tournament with their best result coming in at the historic first ever World Championship in 1930 with 3rd place), compared to 4 are back from 2018 (Colombia, Egypt, Panama, & Sweden), then 3 have returned from the 2014 tournament (Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, & Cote D'Ivoire), meanwhile 3 are back from 2010 (New Zealand, Paraguay, & South Africa), also then only one from 2006 (Czechia (Who once competed under the name of the Czech Republic), & 2002 (Türkiye (In which they competed under the name Turkey), then 3 return from 1998 (Austria, Norway, & Scotland), as well as just one from 1986 (Iraq), & both from 1974 (Democratic Republic of Congo (They were competing under the name Zaire), & Haiti), + 4 will make their tournament debut such as Cabo Verde, Curacao, Jordan, & Uzbekistan, while for the 3rd World Championship in a row where the 7 champions of 1 current (The Argentinians) & 6 former (The Brazilians, then the English, France, the Germans, the Spanish, & the Uruguayans) will line up in this years tournament), so here it is:

Group A

Mexico (Co-hosts)

South Africa

Korea Republic

Czechia

Group B

Canada (Co-hosts)

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Qatar

Switzerland

Group C

Brazil

Morocco

Haiti

Scotland

Group D

USA (Co-hosts)

Paraguay

Australia

Türkiye

Group E

Germany

Curacao

Cote D'Ivoire

Ecuador

Group F

The Netherlands

Japan

Sweden

Tunisia

Group G

Belgium

Egypt

IR Iran

New Zealand

Group H

Spain

Cabo Verde

Saudi Arabia

Uruguay

Group I

France

Senegal

Iraq

Norway

Group J

Argentina (Defending champions)

Algeria

Austria

Jordan

Group K

Portugal

DR Congo

Uzbekistan

Colombia

& Group L

England

Croatia

Ghana

Panama

And lastly the latest in the rugby, especially the latest Super Rugby Pacific report as the Hurricanes manage to survive against the Crusaders who managed to get an defensive bonus point for losing by 7 points or less at Hnry Stadium in Wellington (The stadium that both Dad & Raewyn had been to as they saw a NRL league game between the New Zealand Warriors (Who had beaten the Paramatta Eels lately in Sydney according to one of Dad's comments that I heard on the 3rd of May, even though we're 2nd on the table, & are trailing behind the table topping Penrith Panthers before the Wahs take the bye in round 10 of the competition), & the Dolphins) for that really was a cracker, then the Western Force pull off a stunning win against the New South Wales Waratahs in a close game in Sydney before a day later that the Highlanders fell short against the Fijian Drua who kept their chances of making the playoffs alive in Ba therefore ending the Landers quest of making the post-season, as well as their aspirations of reaching the playoffs, is going to take a hit since the Drua were too hard at home for the Highlanders who have their chances of sneaking into the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs have been dealt another blow, as well as the Blues thrash Moana Pasifika in their final ever battle of Auckland at North Harbour Stadium in Albany (And I mean what a game that was, but there was a try to Moana with Mills Sanerivi scoring after taking a tap & go, then they must've passed it to a player who was lifted like a lineout maul which has drawn inspiration from the Springboks as well as their coach Rassie Erasmus, & the Paul Roos Gimnasium schoolboy rugby first XV in South Africa at least with their trick play known as a midfield lineout, with assistant coach Tom Coventry who called the shots), & last but not least, the Queensland Reds were able to pull off a textbook victory over the ACT Brumbies who should've lost by less than 7 just like the Crusaders did, even if they had got the bonus point in Brisbane.

And here are the list of matches taking place in round 13 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition

Crusaders Vs Blues: Te Kaha Stadium, Christchurch

Queensland Reds Vs Chiefs: Lang Park, Brisbane

Highlanders Vs New South Wales Waratahs: Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin

Moana Pasifika Vs Hurricanes: North Harbour Stadium, Albany

& ACT Brumbies Vs Western Force: Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Bye: Fijian Drua

So that is my 722nd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 74th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Animal I Have Become: My 73rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that there will be security guarding the area at a signing of the Whanganui lands Treaty settlement at Kaiwhaiki Marae on the weekend of the 2nd to 3rd of May this year, even though legislation enforcement officers are ready to respond to certain social media posts appearing to encourage disrupting the event of a potential violence, including calls for the opposition urging guns, & to block that venue of the road to the Marae, just outside Whanganui where the settlement is due to be on the dotted line on May 2nd for which is concerning, especially messages about attendees who take shotguns illegally to the event, then obstruct access to the venue as the signing of He Rau Tukutuku, the Deed of Settlement for Nga Hapu o Te Iwi o Whanganui, is expected to be attended by Government ministers & Crown officials as well as iwi leaders from throughout the motu & hundreds of supporters, as Whanganui area manager Inspector Forlong said that cops were "Carefully of the posts in question" & were preparing their response as law enforcement probe threats to settlement signing, therefore that there will be an increased security presence throughout.

And secondly in politics that after the White House correspondents dinner in the United States where an shooting incident had been occurred that terrified the majority of people who were scared by gunfire in the most of circumstances, including that dreadful American leader (Who is literally by far, the most guarded leader in the world in terms of the president's bodyguards who also are in fact have the world's heightened security when he dodged not one, not two, but three assassination attempts as he'd been in the wars lately according to the previous stories on my blogs, & he is on some dodgy diet that most people around the world are avoiding (He drinks Coke Zero Sugar diet soda soft drink in fact, because he never drinks any alcoholic drink just like fellow politician Ted Kennedy, & he likes to eat salmon bagels with cream cheese anytime like for either lunch or dinner) in which they'll be extensive safeguarding towards him after that incident that horrified most people during the White House correspondents dinner that they had recently (In which the headline will prolly say: (FURTHER) GUARDING THE US PRESIDENT WHO SURVIVES SCARE, or more importantly: TO (STILL) SAFEGUARD A PRESIDENT IN WAKE OF NEAR TRAGEDY, or most likely be: GUNMAN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED KILLING TOWARDS AMERICAN LEADER, in which the president's bodyguards who have been asked every American to leave him alone by showing respect towards the US President, but there had been updates as the gunman pleads not guilty of illegally getting beyond the president's bodyguards of him being armed with both firearms, & knives for example), the Vice President, as well as people who work for different media outlets, such as CNN for example, & celebs in which the United States is gearing up it's 250th anniversary on the 4th of July since the country became independent from the British in 1776 where the late George Washington became the first US President in history (And the White House have added a ballroom which is currently under construction that will have hi-tech security features since the incident at the White House correspondents dinner had happened in April, meaning that anyone can't access the building or facility I should say due to a crack down being enforced, but they're currently funding it for some reason like more than a billion US dollars meaning that it is dear to build at the moment as part of the anti-immigration package, compared to the newly built Te Kaha Stadium that costs 683 million New Zealand dollars with its final bill expected to top it off at 1 billion New Zealand dollars), while the US President announces that the White House correspondent's dinner is back on with the resumption of it, where it'll make a grand comeback which is due on July 24th, but under heightened, & increased security measures being brought into play, & in effect at Waldorf Astoria in Washington D.C. according to the world news section that I saw on the Whanganui Chronicle during my Dad's 57th birthday on June 5th (2 days before my big 35 due on the 7th of June) this year.

And thirdly in football/soccer related news that the 2nd world's largest sporting event behind the Summer Games, of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup, for which is due to start on June 11th (June 12th New Zealand time) in Mexico City, between co-hosts Mexico (Who haven't missed a tournament since way back in 1990 as they had been given an expulsion for fielding overage players in a youth tournament, such as the one in 1988 at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in a scandal colloquially known as Cachirules that the Mexican football (Soccer) team have been kicked out of both the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, & the 1990 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup tournament being staged in Italy) who face off against South Africa (Who haven't been to a World Cup since they hosted it back in 2010, along with both the All Whites of New Zealand, & Paraguay who last appeared altogether in the same tournament) in a rematch of the 2010 opener at Soccer City in Soweto that resulted in a drawn game with a score line of 1-1 (The goal scorers were Siphiwe Thsbalala for Bafana Bafana, while Rafa Marquez equalized it for El Tri) as 16 years later (Our first match of the World Cup for the All Whites will be against Iran under heightened security on June 16th (15th in the US) in Los Angeles in a politically charged game regarding to the Middle East conflict (Otherwise known as that evil male Blondie's war), the same story begins again as it is back to where it all started 16 years apart, as the opener brings a, "16 years following their famous meeting in Johannesburg in 2010" bringing a, "Blend of jitters and jubilation, historical burden, & emotional vertigo," to this year's kickoff. While the match will see Mexico's Javier Aguirre, who was coach in 2010, return to lead the team against South Africa, with Mexico hosting the opening match of the 48-team tournament for the first time, in what would be a rematch 16 years in the making in that will be a repeat of the 2010 tournament's opening fixture for what will be the first World Cup match, in 1,272 days since the last game took place which was a World Cup final in Qatar in 2022, won by Argentina who became the new champions of the world for the first time since 1986, after their win on spot kicks against France who just narrowly missed out on defending the crown (The Argentinians will attempt to do that of becoming the first team to successfully retain the World Cup title, since Brazil in 1962 who was the last to do so, & of course, in what will be Lionel Messi's last ever World Cup tournament as he prepares to retire after that because I thought his international career was over after 2022, but it will be his last hurrah this year, & can he finish off his international football (Soccer) career with a win, but only if Argentina is in the final? I'd say not, but no winning captain has ever lifted the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup trophy twice, in which Messi will become the first man to do that if the Argentinians win it again).

And finally that any reason why that the Spanish Flu began is that they ended World War I in 1918 (A year before the Stanley Cup had been called off after 5 games into the finals before that in 1919, therefore it was the last prior to the NHL lockout that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season), while World War II got underway in 1939 when they managed to end the decade long Great Depression, & the Spanish flu epidemic is reminiscent to COVID (Which is also colloquially known as the modern day bubonic plague once described on CNN that I saw on a news report in 2020, when the pandemic was about to begin for that really was the black death of the 21st century, as many outbreaks have happened throughout human history, but there is just one outbreak with the first intense isolation, the plague...Actually, the mortality rate of both diseases is similar at 2.4% for COVID, & 2.5% for the Spanish flu. While the 1918 influenza murdered a disproportionate number of 25–40 year olds, its fair to say that COVID mostly affects those who are 65 or older) that we once had in 2020 until 2023 where we managed to survive the brunt force of it, but now they have that dreadful invasion since 2022 (Although the last conflict in Europe took place before that was in fact the Yugoslav Wars that lasted for a decade from 1991 until 2001 as referenced in Grand Theft Auto IV where the protagonist Niko Bellic who fought in the invasion in which he was an illegal immigrant who sought a life of crime in Liberty City in the US when it took place, while that shocking war is indeed the first full scale invasion in Europe since World War II from 1939 until 1945) & the Iran wars (For that I can't stand both invasions currently going on at the moment, not only because I hate it literally, but I want these conflicts to end therefore that I'm demanding peace, right here, & now (And the inflation rate is seriously high at the moment, especially fuel prices here in our country & the rest of the world since they closed the Strait of Hormuz permanently in response to the Iran conflict, but I'm always still playing the main GTA IV game & that expansion pack of the Ballad of Gay Tony because of my reaction of that shocking invasion since 2022 & the Iran wars respectively, & it looks like Iran could be winning the war due to having enough manpower as well as also having heaps of missiles, & lots of cheaper Shahed drones in fact), but they used to have one in Gaza, & last but not least, that terrible American leader's tariff policies regarding to the inflation rate that had been spiked therefore triggering a trade conflict towards Canada, China, & Mexico for that is worse than the Smoot-Hawley levels in 1930 (Which was during the heights of the Depression) that they imposed a year after the Great Depression began even with the stock markets were collapsing at all (Well, they hadn't done that until 2008-09 where they had a global financial economic recession before that took out A1GP World Cup of Motorsport series, as well as both Japanese car manufacturers of both Subaru, & Suzuki withdrawing from the WRC, & Honda who declared their intentions to pull out of Formula One as they were risen from the ashes under the name Brawn GP in Formula One, & lasted just the one season back in 2009 where it was a successful one as they had their fairytale season, before they rebranded it to Mercedes-AMG where they have been there since 2010 according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs) as part of the disruption that us, & the world is facing during this decade).

So that is my 721st blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 73rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the broadcasting & journalism fraternity here in New Zealand is in mourning, as one of former All Black Justin Marshall's friends of New Zealander Phil 'Giff' Gifford (Who had covered the men's Rugby World Cup 10 times as a sports journalist (In which was his occupation), from the inaugural tournament way back in 1987 where Australia & New Zealand were the co-hosts, all the way until the most recent one was in 2023 where it was held in France) has recently passed away aged 79 (Same age as Pops), with all of their thoughts, & heartfelt condolences go to his wife Jan, & his 3 kids in this emotional, but tough time, Rest in Love.

Phil Gifford

1947 - 2026

Life in the Fast Lane: My 72nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that my standout rugby moment I watched on TV was the AB's-Ireland test in Dublin, which was from the year before where Damian McKenzie made the difference as he filled in for the concussed Beauden Barrett, & it was better than the England one (Not the one from last year, but also the year before) that would be my 2nd where we almost lost in the dying seconds with a penalty goal that had been missed after Anton Lienert-Brown had been sin binned, & on report by the referee for the dangerous hit, then a field goal at the death that gone astray in which the English should've won, therefore we manage to survive not one, but two close calls, while my 3rd was the 2015 men's Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand (Coached by Sir Steve Hansen until 2019, where Ian Foster took over by guiding us through to our first final since 2015), & the Wallabies for that was by far, the best men's RWC match I have ever watched on TV where Dan Carter in his final game of all forms of rugby as he closed out his chapter along with our skipper at the time of Richie McCaw & 3 others (Although Tony Woodcock did not play through injury) of scoring 19 points in an epic final (His best test ever since back in 2005 during the 2nd test of the Lions series against the British & Irish Lions in Wellington according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs) for that was the greatest men's RWC finals of all-time in which the last time the AB's would gone on to win the men's Rugby World Cup (The only one we did triumph away from home, but the 2023 final which could've gone away in that we fell short by the barest of margins (Including a sending off by also our skipper at the time, then a no try decision that ruined us from regaining the title) in which the Springboks continued their dominance in the international rugby arena therefore the William Webb Ellis cup, remains in South Africa, but let's say that we win the men's RWC next year in order to take back the Wiremu, what's rightfully ours).

And secondly in the gaming department that I haven't played Grand Theft Auto V since either September, or October last year because of GTA IV being my preference that I play every day to reminisce both the Iran, & that dreadful invasion since 2022 (Which is still going, even though it's been 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had struck for that was the most serious accident ever to occur in the nuclear power industry, as the disaster had occurred on April 25th to the 26th way back in 1986, when technicians at reactor Unit 4 attempted a poorly designed experiment as Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when Reactor number 4 at the part was blown up on the 26th of April, as millions were exposed to radiation, hundreds of thousands forced to escape, & wide swathes of land contaminated, when the Chernobyl accident remains one of the defining moments in the twilight years of the Soviet Union. As Moscow sought to obscure the disaster while quietly evacuating more than 116,000 people from the area surrounding the plant in the days after the reactor exploded), but some gamer in Scotland which is in the UK had purchased an advanced Xbox 360 console at a flea market such as a local boot sale which contained the adapted version of Grand Theft Auto IV which was a 2007 beta build dev kit worth 5 UK pounds which is 11 & a half New Zealand dollars as a unit (Featuring a Rockstar North label) that contained over 120 GB of data, including cut content, unused assets, & an unfinished prototype zombie mode, while findings include functional ferry systems, early music/radio, and an aforementioned "Zombie" mode, although former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij confirmed the legality of the assets, but the significance is that it is considered a major gaming preservation find.

And thirdly that in 2023 that the most recent Football (Soccer) men's World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi who was the first player to win the FIFA men's player award via vote, & a record seven times as he was the first man to do so following his impressive 2022-23 season including helping his country win a 3rd World Cup in 2022 according to the history in the Gran Turismo 7 game that I've covered along with the 2004-05 NHL lockout 2 blogs ago, & Roger Federer's retirement in tennis on my previous blog.

And lastly that I'm planning to watch the first Star Wars movie by next year due to the space opera franchise celebrating 50 years since the release of the original, but I have not watched a movie since Austin Powers in Goldmember (For that was the movie of the year here in New Zealand back in 2002) when both Aunty Tan & Rejean (Who I have not seen both of them for 118 days as of April 30th) were here in December.

So that is my 720th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 72nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

Hotel California: My 71st Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that April 28th this year marked 30 years since the tragic Port Arthur shootings took place in Australia where 35 innocent lives had been taken by a gunman who is currently serving a life sentence for the mass murder charge that resulted firearm legislation reforms being carried out, such as the war on semi-automatic rifles used in the massacre for which had been strict (Then in December last year that there was another tragic mass shooting near Bondi Beach in Sydney that claimed 15 lives who were caught in crossfire for that was Port Arthur 2.0 according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs in one of Australia's darkest days since way back in 1996 (For that was the death of semi automatic high powered rifles in Australia after Port Arthur, & the birth of Australia's most successful wrestlers male or female of WWE's Rhea Ripley who is one of women's wrestling's top stars this decade (And she was the top lady of the year in 2023 according to one of the pro wrestling magazines after her title victory against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 which was one of the best women's wrestling matches at 'The Grandest Stage of Them All' despite the slowest of starts that they had once it started (They once had Emma as Australia's original female wrestler, now it's Ripley who had since been taken over (Although she became the new WWE Women's Champion when she defeated against her main rival of African American female wrestler Jade Cargill at WrestleMania XLII (Same night that Cody Rhodes managed to beat Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship during the main event of night 1 despite injury, a night before Roman Reigns was able to successfully challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight title as he manhandled CM Punk during night 2 which was the main event) held in Las Vegas, before the lady known as 'Ripper Queen' defeated Cargill again when she remained as the champion at WWE the Clash in Italy (Where the Italian WWE fanatics were the loudest crowd out there (Compared to the French where they had Backlash the year before) according to the man known as 'The American Nightmare' (Who had a infamous stare down with Roman just before his match in which both Cody Rhodes, & Roman Reigns will both appear in the upcoming Street Fighter movie (Which features Samoan-American film star Jason Momoa (Who is a regular visitor of our country that is New Zealand) who plays one of the characters of Blanka as well), as both Guile, & the villainous Akuma (Gouki) characters respectively) in which he decimated the Austrian wrestler of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther on that night to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship, along with Roman who overpowered Tama Tonga in his defence of the WWE WHC (Same night as the female wrestler from Hawaii, Sol Ruca (Well, her main roster debut was exactly this year following her graduation from NXT) who became the new WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship, in which she shocked the world by walloping the Irishwoman who was once the biggest stars of women's wrestling during the last decade (That was both the late Chyna during the 90s, & then Canadian Trish Stratus also during the noughties decade) that was the 2010s of Becky Lynch (Right before Ripley took over this decade which was the 2020s throughout, & has dominated since) who had been the champion since the last WrestleMania where she defeated AJ Lee just to regain the crown, before an announcement from the World Wrestling Entertainment came that there will be a new John Cena Invitational which showcases the next-gen of male wrestlers who have ambitions of competing in the WWE (Just like the Mae Young Invitational where young female wrestlers have took part of becoming the next big star, like Ripley for example who made her official World Wrestling Entertainment debut at the Mae Young Invitational back in 2017 (Same year that she made her NXT debut that was 4 years prior to her main roster debut in 2021), even as a blonde haired 20 year old just before undergoing her drastic transformation into a goth where she has black hair & makeup on where she has matured well) despite B-Fab & Charlotte who interfered on Ripley as both of them were attempting to come to aid towards Cargill's efforts of regaining the championship), but they now have a male Nigerian wrestler who hailed as the next John Cena, of Oba Femi (Who I saw him interviewed in one of the African related programmes on CNN briefly) where beachgoers are told to evacuate, before a suspect was killed while his son had been captured by authorities & taken into custody for the mass murder charge in which both hate speech & terror symbols had been outlawed in the state of New South Wales as well as changes to the gun laws that are being brought in which seemed to be effective in that security has been heightened in time for the extended Hanukkah celebrations around the world to stamp out any antisemitism, especially abuse being targeted (And this is just like Christchurch back in 2019 where a far-right extremist person opened fire by murdering 51 people who have Islamic beliefs for which was the worst shooting incident ever recorded on New Zealand soil that was colloquially known as the sequel to Aramoana way back in 1990, that resulted high powered guns being cracked down in order to address of keeping our country safe where firearm legislations have worked in that the United States had been lacked of, then that gunman got sent behind bars for life for which he is still serving time as a result of the mass killing charge, meaning that there's no escape if someone has a life sentence, & if they do, that there'll be time being added to the sentence of a prisoner).

And secondly that I wrote a blog last year about 2001 being not a great year in terms of motor racing as this year celebrates 25 years since Dale Earnhardt Sr's fatal accident during the Great American Race of the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida which was won by Mike Waltrip (Brother of former NASCAR racer Darrell), then Alex Zanardi losing both limbs in a crash during a Champ Car race in Germany, & the CART movie of Driven starring Sly Stallone was released in cinemas for that by far, was the worst sports movie ever made for which was a clanger, compared to F1: the Movie (Well, I've never seen that film before compared to Driven for which I have seen it before) also starring Brad Pitt being released last year to critical acclaim in terms of rave reviews as I mentioned on my previous blogs before, meaning that it is a ripper of a movie to watch (Compared to the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King that came out back in 2003 being the greatest Hollywood movie of all time in which was considered an absolute banger, & a masterpiece), especially for the F1 fanatics who were missing the action during the 5 week, 35 day break.

And thirdly I kept telling Pops that his memory his good because of him taking those meds every day in the morning, so I have always been keeping an eye on him throughout not only because Pops is getting older due to the fact that he's 78 at the moment (He'll be turning 79 4 weeks after my birthday for which is due on June 7th when I hit the big 35 (It will be at Thai Villa for lunch on that day which there will be less crowds turning up for a joint birthday get together), 2 days after Dad's, & 3 days before Aunty Tan (Dad will be 57 on June 5th here in Whanganui, meanwhile Aunty Tan will be 58 on June 10th back there in Canada at Mont Saint Hilaire with Rejean), but we're heading to Rutland Arms Inn on Mother's Day which is the 10th of May for a lunch there, then on May 30th that is Raewyn's daughter's birthday dinner at Caroline's there as well due to take place.

And finally that there was once a tennis story about professional Swiss star Roger Federer (The Xherdan Shaqiri of Swiss tennis) that it's been 4 years since his retirement in 2022 where he was about to hang up his shoes with the Laver Cup being his last as he teamed up with his old rival Rafael Nadal (Who is Spanish tennis's equivalent of Andres Iniesta) who retired the year before in a doubles match.

So that is my 719th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 71st of this year, viva Ukraine.

Freeze Frame: My 70th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby that the first try scorer of the new Te Kaha Stadium (Compared to Colin Slade being the last try scorer at the old Lancaster Park stadium (Formerly Jade Stadium from 1998 until 2007, then AMI Stadium also from 2007 until 2011) according to the previous stories on my blogs) of departing Crusader & one test All Black Dallas McLeod who is set to join the Exeter Chiefs after this Super Rugby Pacific season when he joins his new club in time for the 2026-27 Gallagher Prem season on a lucrative contract signing deal.

And secondly onto the food stuff that I love meat pies as my fave New Zealand food compared to pasta being my overall favourite food as well, but I used to have Indian curries that Pops always loves despite the fact that I love them, & sushi due to the fact that it isn't good because of the worms that penetrate a person's brain, but I also love steak meals & burgers such as Burger King that I love as my favourite fast food restaurant (And I went on the 30th of April where I had a double whopper, just before I came to Cash Converters (My fave shop that I go to since EB Games here in New Zealand was shut down entirely) to buy a Tony Hawk's Underground PlayStation 2 game after lunch).

And thirdly that in the gaming that I love & enjoy the Rugby 06 PlayStation 2 game despite the scratched disc for which is better than the last decent rugby computer game sim that is Rugby 08, so I played 3 matches on Rugby 06 such as the Chiefs took on the New South Wales Waratahs at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, & won 63 - 0, then the All Blacks against Ireland in Hamilton with a comprehensive 70 - 0 score line, & the 3rd one I played a day later was between Los Pumas of Argentina taking on the All Blacks that I played with in Buenos Aires with a convincing 91 - 0 win, all on the club difficulty.

And lastly that that last year marked 20 years since the entire 2004-05 NHL season in Canada & the US, had been called off as a result of a lockout that other major sports leagues had increased higher attendances during the season, with the 2004–05 season (Which would've been the 88th season being played that was due to get underway in October 2004) famously cancelled entirely. Initiated by owners over labor disputes, these lockouts focused on introducing new salary cap policies, cutting player revenue percentages, & financial stability. These disputes severely impacted momentum, fan trust, and revenue, while that season was the longest and most significant, lasting 310 days from September 16, 2004, to July 13, 2005. It was the first time in North American professional sports that an entire season was cancelled due to a labor dispute. The owners forced a tough salary cap, ending the season, as the 2004–05 lockout was primarily driven by owners' desire for a hard salary cap to control rising player costs (And COVID as well as inflation prevented them from doing that if the season began), which they argued threatened the financial stability of smaller-market teams, while disputes focused on how league revenues were divided between owners and players, with owners pushing for a smaller share for players, then despite the 1994–95 lockout, average player salaries rose threefold between 1993 and 2004, fueling the 2004 lockout, as lockouts resulted in the introduction of a difficult salary cap, revenue sharing, and trimmed salary percentages for players, as well as the 2004–05 cancellation resulted in significant revenue losses, with some fans feeling betrayed and turning to alternative leagues like the AHL or European leagues, & the post-2004 lockout era introduced new loopholes to quicken the pace of the game & increase scoring chances/opportunities for which the 2004-05 lockout was by far to be the darkest moment in the almost 100-year history of the National Hockey League, & of course a watershed moment in the history of ice hockey with the lockout had been going on for about 10 months & 6 days when they covered 1,230 games not being played but as a result, the famed Stanley Cup hadn't been awarded for the first time since 1919 during the days of the Spanish flu outbreak that the Stanley Cup series had been called off following 5 games had been played for that I will be revealing my whole story about it in 3 blogs time.

So that is my 718th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 70th of this year, viva Ukraine.